Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
January 11, 2017

A plumber who declared to being “de best” may not come out on top when he returns to the District ‘A’ Magistrate’ Court this Friday.

When Jeffery O’neal Mayers, 42, of Thickets Land, St Philip went before Magistrate Douglas Frederick yesterday, he confessed to destroying a quantity of fittings worth $1,331.79 belonging to Pat Bowen, on August 22, 2016.

Mayers was hired by Bowen back in July last year to install pipes in a four-bedroom house under construction.

The two had agreed that the job was worth $6,000 and Bowen paid Mayers $1,000 up front to get the job off the ground.

However, acting under the advice of a contractor, Bowen informed Mayers on August 22 that the plumbing was not done correctly.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim said that comment did not sit well with Mayers who told Bowen that no one could tell him how to do his job.

The homeowner later saw Mayers cutting pipes, but she thought he was carrying out adjustments. However, a later check revealed that he was actually destroying the pipes.

She confronted him about the matter and Mayers left the site after telling Bowen to find another plumber.

“I does good plumbing,” Mayers told the court as he sought to explain what took place with Bowen, whom he described as a friend.

He stated that he had been in the field for 22 years.

“She agreed with every step made,” said Mayers, who was not happy that Bowen had discussed his work with someone else.

“I is de best,” Mayers declared. “He want to tell me how to do my job. . . . There ain’t no building I can’t do.”

After telling the court that he cut the pipe as requested by Bowen, Mayers was granted $3,000 bail with one surety to return to court on Friday for sentencing.

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14 thoughts on “Plumber confesses to destroying pipes”

This is the same kind of attitude ,which displays itself from our politicians and bajan people…
Bajans must realize business and friends never was a good mixture..
My uncle done some work for me on my home in Barbados ,we sign a contract …….. education what is it doing for us………

This is the same kind of attitude ,which displays itself from our politicians and bajan people…
Bajans must realize business and friends never was a good mixture..
My uncle done some work for me on my home in Barbados ,we sign a contract …….. education what is it doing for us………

I wish to agree with jrsmith’s comments regarding business and friendship, however it is very clear that like most people around this world, there is widespread confusion between learning and education, learning is taught in schools (intellectuality) while the education comes from our inborn intelligence, please check it out for yourselves.

I wish to agree with jrsmith’s comments regarding business and friendship, however it is very clear that like most people around this world, there is widespread confusion between learning and education, learning is taught in schools (intellectuality) while the education comes from our inborn intelligence, please check it out for yourselves.

This time the client did not want to pay the rest of the money or the contractor wanted the job, so she came up with some excuse. This is the norm is Barbados, clients always try to dodge workmen and not pay, they claim things hard with them but yet they pay every cent to get the materials from the stores. In many cases the materials are worth more than the labour cost and yet they try to avoid paying the latter. It has become too prevalent in Barbados. On the other hand, some work men are dishonest and do poor work. In this case, the lady should’ve let the contractor point out to the plumber what was being done wrong, and if there was validity in the contractors concerns and the plumber had refused to amend the job, then the client would’ve had the right to seek another plumber, provided that no contract was signed between the two parties.

This time the client did not want to pay the rest of the money or the contractor wanted the job, so she came up with some excuse. This is the norm is Barbados, clients always try to dodge workmen and not pay, they claim things hard with them but yet they pay every cent to get the materials from the stores. In many cases the materials are worth more than the labour cost and yet they try to avoid paying the latter. It has become too prevalent in Barbados. On the other hand, some work men are dishonest and do poor work. In this case, the lady should’ve let the contractor point out to the plumber what was being done wrong, and if there was validity in the contractors concerns and the plumber had refused to amend the job, then the client would’ve had the right to seek another plumber, provided that no contract was signed between the two parties.

No. According to the law, he did the job he was supposed to do. His error came when he cut up the lady’s pipes. If anything he should only have to purchase and return to the lady the items he destroyed.

No. According to the law, he did the job he was supposed to do. His error came when he cut up the lady’s pipes. If anything he should only have to purchase and return to the lady the items he destroyed.

There is this disgusting annoying attitude of lots of Barbadian workers in the building industry, some times I’ve wondered if when they were learning their trade was there a prerequisite course in stupidity. On a few occasions I have had to ask some fool to get off my property in words that included the ‘F’ word as they were acting like this dim witted plumber.
Maybe a piece of lead pipe upside his head and he’d be plumbed just right.

There is this disgusting annoying attitude of lots of Barbadian workers in the building industry, some times I’ve wondered if when they were learning their trade was there a prerequisite course in stupidity. On a few occasions I have had to ask some fool to get off my property in words that included the ‘F’ word as they were acting like this dim witted plumber.
Maybe a piece of lead pipe upside his head and he’d be plumbed just right.

As a commercially licensed journeyman plumber I can honestly say that guy is a disgrace to the trade, I’ve seen his type over the years many times he should never be allowed to touch a pipe again in his life. Unless he smoking some more of his Barbados stupidity grass.

As a commercially licensed journeyman plumber I can honestly say that guy is a disgrace to the trade, I’ve seen his type over the years many times he should never be allowed to touch a pipe again in his life. Unless he smoking some more of his Barbados stupidity grass.